My grand dad has been a supporter of Pakistan Cricket Team for the last 50 year but after the latest spot fixing saga he has clearly instructed family members not to mention the word “cricket” in front of him ever again. In short the latest match fixing saga has seen Pakistanis gone beyond anger and embarrassment.

In a stunning expose, British tabloid News of the World carried out a sting operation against alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed. Experienced under cover reporter for the tabloid Mr. Mazher Mahmood posed as a member of a Far East gambling cartel looking to make a few quick bucks approached Mazhar Majeed to help set them in the cricket betting world. In the result News of the World ended up exposing one of cricket’s biggest scandals since the Hansie Cronje controversy in the early 2000’s.

The sensational pace duo of 28 year old Mohammad Asif and the 18 year old Mohammad Aamir bowled three no-balls on order. The London based fixer called for the no-balls precisely before they were bowled in front of millions of people on TV for all but a sum of £150,000.

According to the tabloid, puppet-master Majeed boasted that the two one day games are already fixed in the upcoming series against England. He acknowledged that his match-fixing round the world had made his customers millionaires. He exposed how he supervises cheating by using no-balls, indicating how many runs will be scored or conceded in certain over. Shockingly he also admitted how he exploits his position as owner of amateur Croydon Athletic FC to launder his illegal money.

On the 28th of August News of the World passed on this damning evidence to the Scotland Yard with video footage released on their website. On the same day the 35 year old cricket agent Mazhar Majeed, was arrested on suspicion conspiracy to defraud.

During the initial investigation, Mazhar revealed that newly appointed Pakistan Captain Salman Butt was the “ring leader” in a group of seven players controlled by him. He also named wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Aamir as players who have made millions in connection with betting syndicates and book makers.

According to Majeed he has opened many Swiss Bank Accounts for the above mentioned Pakistani players to hide their cheaply gained money. He also claimed that he has been doing all these illegal activities with the Pakistani team, for about two and half years. Later on he added that players themselves came to him with the proposal because they were being paid “peanuts” for their efforts by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

After these startling revelations were made by Mazhar Majeed, the Scotland Yard arrived at Pakistan Team Hotel to carry out investigation. Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Pakistan's captain Salman Butt had their mobile phones taken away by detectives. The three players and their team-mate, wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, were all interviewed by police. After three hours of investigation, the police left with two bags of evidence and an unidentified man wearing a Pakistani Training top.

The very next day a press conference was arranged after Pakistan humiliating loss to England in the fourth and final test. Captain Salman Butt and Pakistan Team Manager Yawar Saeed deny all allegations. With Yawar Saeed stating "No allegations are true till they are proved". The Pakistan cricket board has stated that no action will be taken against the accused players until the Scotland Yard completes their inquiry.

The issue at hand further took on international dimension when Cricket boards across the globe asked the ICC (International Cricket Council) to investigate the matter and take strict action against the players involved. Former ICC chief Malcolm Speed has called for banning Pakistan from international cricket after this ugly episode.

Swift action was taken by the Patron of Pakistan Cricket Board, the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari who ordered PCB chief Ijaz Butt to submit an initial report to him regarding the case. Pakistan Sports Ministers Ijaz Jakhrani also added that severe punishment i-e life time bans will be imposed on those cricketers if they are found guilty. Public opinion is divided in Pakistan over this issue with some people calling for banning the players involved and the others still living in denial calling this a conspiracy against Pakistan cricket.

Failure on part of the Pakistani cricket administration is also a reason why this culture has not been eradicated fully in the cricket setup. Past cricketers like Wasim Akram, Ijaz Ahmed (current fielding coach) were let off scot free by the authorities despite clear evidence involving them in match fixing. One wonders whether the current players would have had the guts to do anything like this had they known they would be punished severely if caught. Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum (of the famous Qayyum Commission on betting, bribery and match-fixing in Pakistan) had asked the authorities to take strict action against the players involved and make them an example for future cricketers. 

These cricketers are paid well; they lead comfortable lives, they travel around the world, with their every whim catered. They shop in Dubai, shoot ads in Bangkok, get filthy amounts of money for advertisements. Do they sense nothing for the millions of fans who idolize them and give their emotional support, who pray for them every day, who wake up early to watch them play and who use their hard-earned money to go and watch them play?

It could be said that they were partly driven by greed and the inequality of our society. In a country like ours, where the public takes the Army to be the best run institute despite the corruption a top-ranked officer indulges in, this really should not come as a surprise. Most of the Pakistani cricketers come from a poor background and are a product of a society where corruption is welcomed in everyday life. It is a reflection of the Pakistani society, which has been militarized, corrupted by our army in cohorts with political leaders. .

Hand on your hearts if you were surprised?

Notes:

1-      The Justice Qayyum Report
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2000/may/25rep.htm

2-      Lord's Test at centre of fixing allegations
http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/story/474890.html

3-      My report should have been fully implemented - Qayyum
http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/story/474939.html 

Ahsan Awan is a BBA student at Assumption University of Thailand. A cricket fanatic and freelance writer